Saudi Arabia's girls' youth team get their Group B campaign under way tomorrow, Monday, in qualifying for the 2027 AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup in China. Singapore host the Group B matches, which wrap up on 11 October.
SAFF Women's football account in X 4 Oct 2026
Saudi Arabia compete in the AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup qualifiers for the second successive time
SAFF Women's football account in X the opening match
Saudi Arabia's youth girls' team get their campaign under way tomorrow, Monday, against hosts Singapore in front of a home crowd at Bishan Stadium in the capital, Singapore.
Indonesia come next on 8 October, before the Saudis wrap up their Asian participation on 11 October against Gulf rivals Bahrain.
Only the group winners will qualify for the 2027 AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup in China, which gets under way on 31 March next year.
Singapore Football Federation The second participation
The Singapore Football Association held a press conference on Sunday morning to present the four teams competing in Group Two of the Asian qualifiers.
Greek coach Katerina Valida and defender and captain Sawar Amro Al-Amri represented the Saudi Arabia under-17 women's team at the conference.
Speaking about Saudi Arabia's second consecutive appearance in the Asian qualifiers, Valida told the Singapore FA's official account: "This is our second consecutive appearance in the Asian qualifiers, and like any other tournament, it is part of our journey of development and growth. We have to pay great attention to the players' development on and off the pitch, and to prepare them to compete and reach the next level. We take each match on its own, and in every match we want our players to give their best and to represent the country with pride and honour."
Captain Sawar Amro Al-Amri added: "It is a great honour for me to represent my country. They have given me everything I wanted and needed, so I feel a duty to repay them on the pitch and to give my utmost in every moment. As a young team, we are striving to develop and grow, and we are looking to compete strongly, to be a team that is hard to beat, and we hope to qualify."
Saudi Arabia's youth women's team made their first and historic appearance in October 2025 in the Saudi city of Al-Khobar, hosting the matches of Group Two in the qualifiers for the 2026 AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup in China. They opened with a 0-2 defeat to Iran, then drew 2-2 with Lebanon, before thrashing Kuwait 11-0 for a historic win. That left them third with 4 points on their debut.
SAFF Women's football account in X Premier League stars
Greek head coach Katerina Valida has named a 24-player squad for the Asian qualifiers in Singapore, as follows:
Goalkeepers: Dana Al-Banali, Talia Katbi, Maryam Al-Tayyar.
Defence: Joan Al-Nassar, Dyala Serouji, Rital Hakami, Houra Al-Hamidi, Jude Al-Amoudi, Arwa Al-Rashid, Rimas Al-Banawani.
Midfield: Heba Ohashi, Sarah Al-Madani, Dima Hijazi, Hala Al-Shadoukhi, Rima Abdulaziz, Ghala Kurdi, Ghadi Al-Otaibi, Sawar Amr Al-Omari.
Attack: Kenzi Alaa Al-Saadani, Hoor Al-Fareed, Dana Al-Dahyan, Sadeem Al-Suhaimi, Saadia Hassan, Zainab Rida.
The Saudi youth squad leans heavily on the standout names from last season's Saudi Premier Youth League 2025/2026 for under-17s. Al-Ittihad defender Dima Hijazi scooped the best player award, Al-Hilal's Dana Al-Dahyan finished as top scorer, and Al-Hilal goalkeeper Dana Al-Banali took the best goalkeeper prize.
Also leading the attack is the talented Kenzi Alaa Al-Saadani of Al-Hilal, who tops this season's scoring charts in the 2026/2027 Saudi Premier Youth League for under-17s with 12 goals. Her Saudi team-mate, Al-Nassr forward Saadia Hassan, sits second on 5.